User:Thelmadatter/Joselito Velázquez

Joselito Velázquez (b. 30 September 1993) is a Mexican light flyweight boxer. He won gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games, but was eliminated in the second round at the 2016 Olympics. Velázquez was a promising soccer player, but changed to boxing in 2004 following the example of his brother.

Early life
He was born in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, but had to leave at the age of two because of his family's financial needs. He then moved with his family to Cancun, where he grew up. Joselito has said several times that he is proud of his origins.

His older brother was a member of the State Team of box in Cancun. That is how Joselito started to like boxing. He went to watch and support his brother competing nationally, representing Cancun, and in that competition, he decided he wanted to box professionally. Before this moment, Joselito was playing soccer. He was part of the U-14 team of Cruz Azul. He could not make it to a professional level because of he is short and very thin.

Career
Joselito Velázquez was the Pan American champion in 2011 and the 2015 edition, in the light flyweight category. He was also the first athlete from Cancun to go and compete in the Olympic Games. Months before the Olympics, his participation in the games was at risk. He suffered a shoulder dislocation that did not let him practice nor compete for two months. When he had to fight to enter the Olympics, he was not 100% healthy, but he won his fight. According to several analysts, he was part of a talented group of boxers that went and competed in the Olympics. This group consisted of six boxers that were favorites to win a medal in Rio de Janeiro. Velazquez won his first Olympic fight by unanimous decision against Argentinian Leonardo Blanc. He moved onto round of 16, where he lost by unanimous decision against Uzbek Hasanboy Dusmatov.

He has a record of 138 victories and 40 losses. Analysts see him as a boxer with speed in hands and legs, with the ability to work well the short distance, and he is also very technical His biggest inspiration and role model is the boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. He is represented by the promotional firm of Teiken Promotions. His manager is Frank Espinoza and he is coached by Francisco Bonilla.